Universal cleaning device



July 23, 1940. A. w. LAWRENC'E 2,209,275

UNIVERSAL CLEANING DEVICE Filed Feb. -4.- 1938 ATTDENEYL Patented July23, 1940 UNITED STATES UNIVERSAL CLEANING DEVICE Albert W. Lawrence,Toronto, ntaric',fCanada Application February 4, 1938, Serial No.188,650 7 In Canada January 3, 1938 Claims. (01. '15-21o) The presentinvention relates to hand-cleaning devices for dry-cleaning shoes,purses, felt hats, spats, suede and buckskin gloves, velvet ,or velourarticles, gabardine shoes, and similar 5 4 articles. While the device ismostly used for drycleaning purposes, yet same may also be used forapplying liquid polish and cleaning White buckskin shoes, purses andother articles when de-- sired.

pad, which is mounted in a rubberized cloth or, similar holder, and whenboth faces of one end of the pad become soiled, the pad may be reversedin the holder in order to use the opposite end and 151 faces for furthercleaning purposes. When both ends of the pad are dirty the pad itselfmay be washed in hot soap suds, or cleaned in gasoline, and dried forfurther use in the pad holder as will be explained hereinafter in thisspecification.

A principal feature of the invention lies in the combination which ismade between a pad and anenclosing case, which has a flap portion whichis adapted to be returned upon itself to form a support for the end ofthe pad, as well as a pro- 25. tection against soiling of the fingers ofthe user, and when said flap is not in use, same covers the soiled endof the pad, as will be further explained below.

The cleaning pad being covered and protected so; by a rubberized clothholder, may be placed in a ladys hand-bag without. soiling orcontamination ,of other articles.

In the drawing forming part of this specification, I have shown acomplete embodiment of one as; form of the device, and severalmodifications thereof.

Fig, 1 is a front view. in elevation of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1 taken from the right thereof.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the sponge rubber insert used withthe invention.

Fig. 4 is a right side elevation of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a front elevationof a modified form of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of another modified form of the device.

Fig. '7 is a right side view of Fig. 6 in elevation. Fig. 8 is a frontview of a modified form of the device.

Fig. 9 is a right side view of Fig. 8 in elevation. Fig. 10 is a frontelevational View of still another modified type of the invention.

Fig. 11 is a right side elevation of Fig. 10. In its simplest form asillustrated in Figures 1 The device itself consists of a sponge rubber.

to 5 of the drawing the present invention comprises a casing I,preferablyzmade-of rubberized cloth cotton, leather or similar material,and a double piecevunit of sponge rubber 2, which is adapted to slidablyoperate in said casing. In this type of covering case the opposed ends3, 3 are shown open. andthe rear wall 4 is carried over the top of thesponge rubber 2 at 1, to form a flap 8, and'thence to the front wall 5where it is secured preferably by a snap button 6. When the spongerubber. cleaner is in use the portion 1 is doubledrearwardly upon itselfas shown in Fig. .Zdotted, and the fingers of the user of the devicerest on the upper portion 9 of the doubled flap 8, and the Ilatterkeepsthefingers cleanas well as forming a backing for the .rubber' pad whenin use, When; not in use the soiled surthat the-whole devicemay beplaced in a ladys hand-bag or, otherreceptacle, as is at onceunderstood.

' In Figures 3- and 4 we see the. sponge rubber 2 shown clearly per se,and it will be seen that the said rubber is preferably of medium soft,fine pore, pliable sponge rubber, each half-portion I 0, ll having arind thereon l2, I3, respectively placed back-to-back and securelycemented or vulcanized together. This double rind gives a slightsupportto the sponge portion of the rubber pad 2,,and facilitates the use ofthe same by such support.

Figure 5 shows a .modifiedtype of device which is substantially likeFigures. 1 and 2 except that the. rubber may be used on its side edges Min this .type, which onlyvaries in shape from the form just described.

Figures 6 and? show another modification which is advantageous in someinstances, since the flap portion I5 exposes when reversed the spongerubber l6 on both faces of one end of the sponge; and the flap portionI1 exposes the opposite end of the sponge l6 and on its two facesurfaces. This is, equivalent to using both ends of the sponge ISwithout removing the same from its holder l8, Whereas in Fig. 1 thesponge 2 has to be manually reversed and placed in the holder I, afterthe one end has been soiled by use.

Figures 8 and 9 show still another type of the opposed upper sides 24,25 of the case can be bent outwardly and downwardly when it desired touse the sponge cleaning pad 34 which normally is enclosed Within thecase 20.

In Figures 10 and 11 it will be noted that the cleaning pad I 9 ismounted in still another modified type of holder '26 in which the flap21 normally passesover the top'of the pad I9, and the end 28 is tuckedunder a leather or rubberized band 29 for the purpose of securing theend 28 in a closed position. In this type of case is preferably mounteda piece of tape 30, same being attached at point 3| to the rear wall ofthe case 726' and-passes down beneath the pad I9, and

through an orifice 32 in the front wall of the case, the end of saidtape protruding downwardly at 33 as shown. It is readily seen that byreversing the flap 2'! as shown in Fig. 11 and pulling on the end 33 ofthe tape'30 that the pad I9 is projected from the case in position forusing the end of said pad. Moreover if the flap His only partiallyreturned upon itself, a portion of same may be'used as a support for theportion of the pad being used, and at the same time act as a therebyprevented.

It isreadily'seen that, in the forms of the device shown in Figures 5,Band 10, the sponge rubber pads. in each instance may be reversed in theholder when the outer ends become soiled, similar to.the procedurefollowed in the case of the form shownin Figures 1 and 2of the drawing.

I claim: Z 1.: In a device of the class described, a'resilientsponge-like cleaning-pad, a casing completely enclosing one end portionof said pad, the other end portion projecting freely a substantialwork-1 ing distance fromsaid casing, a flap formed as an extension of lthe rear wall of the casing, adapted when inqa returned position toleave exposed for 'use, the edges and working face of the pad, and formboth a support for the'free end of the pad, and a means for keeping thefingers of the user of the device clean while the end of thepad is inuse, and said flap also provid ing a protecting covering means for thesoiled end of the pad when the flap is in a closed posi: tion, andsecured on the front wall of the casing, 2.; In a device of the classdescribed, a clean ing-pad of sponge-like material, a casing having abody portion completely enclosing a middleward portion of said pad whilethe end portions of same are adapted to project freely from said casing,a pair of flap portions formed on opposed side walls of the body of thecasing, each flap portion being adapted when in a returned position toform a support for an exposed end of the pad, as Well as a protectionfor the fingers of-the user of thede vice, and each fla p' portion alsoproviding a covering-means for the soiled portion of the pad, when theflap portion is secured to the body of the casing.

3. In a device of the class described, a pad of resilient cleaningmaterial, a casing having a lower portion adapted to completely encloseone end portion of the pad, and an upper portion on support for theexposed end of the pad, as well as provide a protecting means for thefingers of the user, and Zipper means for securing the two half-sectionstogether and completely enclose thepad within the case.

4. In a device of the class described, a cleaning pad, a casing thereforhaving a part adapted-to encompass one portion of the pad, with theother portion of the pad projecting a substantially working distancefrom the above-named part of the casing, and a covering means for theprojecting portion of the pad formed as an extension to the casing, andwhich is adapted to leave exposed for use the edges and working face ofthe last-named portion of the pad, said covering means alsov forming 'asupport for the exposed end of .the pad, and adaptedto keep the fingersmetrical parts. each consisting of an elongated flap extending from acomparatively narrow section for forming a band, said parts having theirband-forming sectionsiunited to define a band having an opening with theflaps extending from the opposite sides thereof, and in reversedirections with respect to the opening through the band which is adaptedto embrace'the cleaner about its girth so as to expose opposite endportions, said flaps being foldable over the-respective endportions ofthe cleaner, with their distal extremitiesoverlapping the oppositeband-forming sections, and means fordetachably securing th distalextremities of the flaps.

. ALBERT W. LAWRENCE.

